Windshield cleaner



Jan. 8, 1946. 1 Q HORTON 2,392,670

WINDSHIELD CLEANER Filed Sept. 17, 1942 INVENTOR aw/xz a ove 02 BY ATT NEYs Patented Jan. 8, 1946 UNITED [sr PATE 'FFmE WINDSHIELD CLEANER Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, N. Y., assignor to Trico Products Corporation, Buffalo, NQY.

' Application September 17, 1942, Serial No. 4582629 I 11 Claims. (Cl. 255) portion serving as a brake shoe, and an angu- This invention relates to the windshield cleaner art and more particularly to the wiper carrying arm.

The object of this invention is to provide a wiper arm of simplified and rugged construction adapted to efficiently operate wipers on windshields of various shapes and dimensions and, further, to provides. wiper carrying arm lendin: itself to quick adjustments and economical manufacture.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the improved wiper arm in an operative position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the wiper arm;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the wiper engaging element of the arm;

' the oscillatory actuating shaft upon which the wiper blade carrying arm 03 is mounted.

The wiper carrying arm it comprises an inner section Mi adapted to be fixed to the osciliatory shaft 82 and an outer'blade carrying section (16 pivotally mounted upon the fixed sectionby means of a pin ii to allow the outer section to swing toward and from the windshield surface.

The outer section It is preferably formed of sheet metal and is channel shaped, as indicated at id, with its side walls extended to forma pair of cars IQ for straddling the fixed or mountin: section it and plvotingpn pin'll. Within the channel it is slidably received a resilient strip 20 which constitutes an adjustable arm extension for the outer section it and is terminally equipped with a blade attaching part 22 for interlocking with the blade carried hook 23. The attaching part or tip 22, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, is mounted for rotative adjustmerits by means of screw 26 nd lock washer it upon a disc element 21 wh oh is fixed to the outer end of the strip ill by welding or other means. The inner end of the strip 20 is deformed as at 2| to prevent it from being entirely withdrawn from the channel.

A friction member 28, herein disclosed as a flat sprihg. of generally bowed shape. comprises a hooked end portion 2!, a substantially straight being shown in broken lines).

larly extendinghowed ofiset portion 32 acting as a lever arm (its normal unmounted shape This friction member is in effect a. brake lever and is confined within the channel M by means of inwardly turned end portions 33 of the channel side walls which provide a pivotal support therefor, and in order to hold the-brake shoe normally bearing upon the extensible blade carrying parted at a predetermined pressure a pair of inwardiy bent keeper portions ltare provided to overhang the lever arm. These portions fi l stress the resillent lever arm 32 toward the underlying part as for frictionally retaining the entensible'section it in its adjusted position within the channel.

The space 36 between the end portions 83 and the bottom of the channel i8 is slightly more than the combined thicknesses of the strip 20 and the spring it to accommodate any pivotal movement of the brake shoe about the anchorage E3.

A latch 38 is pivotally mounted on the inner section l4 and engages a shoulder at fixed to the outer end of the actuating shaft E2 to secure the arm on the latter.

A coil spring if having one end fastened to the inner end of the lever arm 32 and its other end to the latch 88, thereby urgin the latch into locking engagement with shoulder 39 on the shaft, provides the necessary wiping pressure for the blade i l upon the windshield and also act either supplementary to the lugs 8d or alone. should the latter be broken off or omitted, in maintaining the frictional engagement of the brake shoe with the extensible strip without destraying any of its other functions.

In assembling the parts the extensible section 20 is slidinto the channel it through the 'distance, as shown in broken line position M, to

allow the lever arm 32 to be sprung into the channel. l8 forwardly of the inwardly bent keeper. portions 34' and then slid inwardly to the full line position to underlie the latter. The coil of the strip 20 and spring 28, the hooked'end 29 is held away from contact with the strip 20.

The brake shoe 3| and the lever arm- 32 may converge to form a transverse ridge, thereby providing substantially line contact with the strip 20 for holding it against accidental displacement'under normal wiping conditions while permitting it to be adjusted by hand.

The angle of the wiper blade ll may be changed with respect to the arm by backing oil the screw 24 suiiiciently' to disengage the lock washer, turning the blade to the desired angle and then tightening the screw again.

As herein described this wiper arm is possessed of adjustments enabling it to be quickly and easily adapted to emciently-operate wiper blades on many sizes and variously shaped Windshields. However,.the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the inventive principles involved, which may be incorporated in other physical embodiments without departing from the spirit scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is: e I

1. A wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising a shaft engaging section and a wiper blade carrying section pivotally connected thereto, the blade carrying section having a channel with an extensible blade engaging'part adjust-.

lever arm spaced above the.bla cle"engaging part in the channel, and means acting on lthe lever arm to stress the latter toward Ithebladeen'gaging part and 'thereby cause the seatingiportion to exert a pr'edetermined pressure on said part to hold the latter in a given position.

-2. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield neled portion, and a brake lever pivotally connected' at its outer end to the channeled portion and having an intermediate shoe portion seating upon said blade carrying part within the channeled portion, the inner end portion of the lever constituting a resilient lever arm Ioractuating the shoe, means acting upon. the lever arm for stressing the same toward the underlying blade carrying part to assume a bowed state and thereby resiliently urge the shoe portion against said part, and a coil spring operatively connecting the lever arm to the latch whereby the latch is urged. to its operative position and the lever arm is simultaneously subjected to a pull tending to Y increase the binding pressure of the shoe portion upon said blade carrying part for assisting in holding the latter in its adjusted position.

5; An adjustable wiper arm for windshield 1 cleaners, comprising a section having a channel portion, an extensible blade carrying part disposed within said channel, a frictional member pivotally mounted atone end on the channel portion and having a brake shoe portion inthe form of a'transverse rid e seating on the blade carrying part within the channel, said frictional member also having aresilient lever arm extending angularly from the shoe portion for actuating the latter, and a keeper forming a part of a side wall of the channel and overhanging the lever arm to confine the latter under tension 'end portion of the spring leaf;- extending angue i larly from the seating portion to folrn'a resilient cleaners, comprising a section having a channel portion, an extensible blade carryingpart disposed within said channel, a frictional member pivotally mounted atone end on the channel portion and having a brake shoe portion in the form of a transverse ridge seating on the blade carrying part, said frictional member also having a resilient lever arm extending angularly from the shoe portion for actuating the latter, and means acting on the lever arm to hold the shoe portion operative against the .extensible blade carrying part whereby said part is frictionally held in its selected position.

3. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising an inner section adapted to be mounted on an actuating shaft, an .outer section of substantially channeled shape pivotally mounted thereon, an extensible blade carrying part arranged within the channel, and an elongated member comprising a short arm forming a brake portion swingingly mounted at its outer outer end anchored on said outer. section, said long arm being relatively more resilient than the short arm and resiliently urging the brake for holding the shoeportion operative.

6. An adjustable wiper arm for. windshield cleaners, comprisinga section having a channel portion, an extensible blade carrying part arranged within the channel, a resilient leaf having one extremity removably interlocking with a part of said channel portion, said leaf also having an adjacent intermediate brake portion disposed within the channel and resiliently bearing on the extensible blade carrying part for securing it in adjusted position'and its other end-forming a resilient brake lever portion normally projecting away from the bottom of said channel portion, and a part on a channel side wall overhanging said brake lever portion of the leaf to hold the latter under tension to-thereby urge said brake portion in binding engagement with the blade carrying part.

7. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising a mounting section, a pivotally connected second section having a channeled portion, an extensible blade carrying part slidably arranged within the channel, a brake I lever having one extremity removably interlocking with a part of said channel portion and an adjacent intermediate brake shoe portion disposition.

posed within the channel and bearing onthe extensible blade carrying part for securing it in an adjusted position, a brake lever arm extending angularly from the brake shoe portion for actuating the latter, and resilient means engaged with the mounting section and the brake lever arm and holding the latter under stress for clampingly urging the brake shoe portion against said extensible blade carrying Part and for yieldably urging the latter toward an associated windshield.

8. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising an inner mounting section, an outer section pivotally mounted thereon and having a channel portion an extensible blade carrying part telescopically disposed within .said channel, a friction member anchored at its outer end on the channel portion and having a brake shoe seating on the blade carrying part,

- said friction member also having a resilient lever arm extending angularly from the shoe for actuating the latter, means carried by the outer section and acting on the lever arm to hold the shoe operative against the extensible blade carrying 10. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising an inner mounting section, an outer section pivotally mounted thereon and having a channel portion, an extensible blade carrying part telescopically disposed within said channel, a friction member having a brake shoe seating on the blade carrying part in the channel portion, the side walls of the channel havin parts overlying the brake shoe to retain it in position, said friction member also having an arm extending angularly from the shoe to space part whereby the latter is frictionally held in its selected position, and a spring carried at one end end on the channel portion and having 'a brake shoe seating on the blade carrying part, said friction member also having a resilient lever arm extending angularly from the shoe for actuating the latter, means on the outer section overhanging the lever arm and holding the same under tension thereby to urge-the shoe against the extensible blade carrying part for maintaining the selected position of the latter, and a spring part supported by said lever arm and said mounting section and acting to urge the wiper carrying part toward an associated windshield, the blade carrying part of said outer section being swingable outwardly away from such windshield and against the one of said spr part whereby the latter is abnormally stressed.

it above the extensible blade carrying part, the side channel walls also having other parts bent over said angularly extending arm to confine it within the channel, and ,a coiled spring connected at one end to said angularly extending arm and having its opposite end connected to the mounting ection for reacting thereagainst to urge the blade carrying part toward an associated windshield. f

11. An adjustable wiper arm for windshield cleaners, comprising a section having a channel portion, an extensible blade carrying part arranged within the channel, a leaf-having one extremity interlocking with a side wall part of said channel portion, said leaf also having an adjacent intermediate brake portion disposed within the channel bearing on the extensible blade carrying part for securing it in adjusted position, the opposite end portion of the leaf adjacent the brake portion being offset away from the bottom of said channel portion, and a part on a channel side wall spaced from the first side wall part and overhanging'said offset portion of the leaf to retain the same against displacement. h

' ERWIN C. HORTON. 

